The interpretation of digital recordings of SIR-A, Seasat, and Landsat data of the Algerian salt deposits

Seasat and SIR-A SAR and Landsat MSS imagery of the salt beds of western Algeria are compared. The Landsat image was made 5 yr before the Seasat image, which was taken nearly 9 yr before the Shuttle radar image. The latter was processed in the visible channel. Differences in the backscatter in the radar imagery are attributed to the viewing angle and the characteristics of each salt deposit. The imagery allowed a determination of the changes in the shapes and areal extent of the salt pools over time, as well as alterations in nearby vegetation cover and the evolution of aeolian formations.